Smash Hit

There truly isn't anything quite like a demolition derby and the fans who turned out to see both the derby and the bump 'n' run at the Great Northern Fairgrounds, were reminded of that Saturday night.

Unlike in years past when the track at the rodeo arena has been muddy and sluggish, this year, the track was dry, at least inside the arena and the conditions it created led to some collisions and excitement at the annual Jaycees Demolition Derby.

The action started in the very first heat, which saw Caleb McLain, Eric Tadej and Ryan Erickson all advance, and it continued into the second heat as Sykler Powell and Austin Moore advanced to the final of the demolition derby. Johnny Austin and T.J. Daulton also worked their way into the final derby, thanks to top finishes in the consolation heat.

Yet, for as much action as there was in the arena, the racing in the two different bump 'n' run events was also captivating. While the inside of the arena was dry, the race course that goes out of the arena was muddy and in one spot, there was standing water.

These conditions made for some interesting turns and more than a few bumps along the way from driver-to-driver. Yet, in the end, the best were able to navigate both the track and their competition. In the stock class, the winner was Dustin McKinney, who fought off a hard charge from Randy Christofferson for first. Frank Williams finished third.

In the modified class, the final event before the final derby, Tony Bibeau won an exciting race that saw the lead change hands multiple times down the stretch. Stan Kuipers was second and Tyler Stidham finished third.

Following the calcutta, the final derby got underway and the action did not disappoint. After a seemingly endless barrage of collisions, four cars found themselves out of commission as McLain, Tadej, Moore, Powell and Daulton all had their cars get stuck in the mud or shut down within the first few minutes.

That meant first place came down to Erickson and Austin. Eventually, Erickson did so much damage to Austin's car that smoke and flames erupted from the engine. However, Erickson still kept ramming the car repeatedly, until Austin finally waived the concession flag.

In other results, Ben Mader took home first in the chain heat and the mad dog driver award went to Skyler Powell.